michelle_d

I'm taking a class to become a CNA and I think I'll work as one for a few years while I move up the waiting list for the nursing degree I'm considering. I know back injuries are a problem for the health field, and I was wondering if anyone knew any s...

One thing that I think will get to me if I decide to go into nursing is working 12 hour shifts. I know that even though I will be ok for the first day or so, after that the lack of sleep will catch up to me and my performance and mood will fall drast...

Yay. Glad to know I have options. lol. My clinical for my nurse aide course had us working 3 days for 8 hours, and even with that i found i was becoming exhausted by thursday, so I know if I'm working 12 hours I'll end up half dead by thurs. edited b...

I'm doing a clinical at a ltcf, and the last time I was there a resident became unresponsive for about two minutes. A staff cena and I were helping her with a BM movement, and after we had gotten her back into her wheelchair, she said her stomach hur...

Thank you so much for the kind and encouraging words! One thing I definitely have always wanted to do is make a difference in someone's life. And even if it's just being able to make them more comfortable or getting them something to eat, it counts i...

I'm so glad to here all the stories of other people crying during situations or because of sad events or even happy events. it makes me feel much better about my own responses to things to know others have similar ones. thank you all for your stories...

I feel better after hearing similar stories from other folks here. I'd rather have empathy than be someone that doesn't care, like some of the people have said here! I'm glad to know I wasn't the only one that has had responses like this to incidents...

Thanks, I feel better after hearing some other people had similar problems when they just started out. I'm starting to feel more used to asking residents to do things. It helps that most of the residents on my wing don't have cognitive problems, so w...

Hey again. I'm doing a clinical for a NATP course at a LTCF. I just finished my second day. I'm ok with most of it, but I find that I still feel awkward coming into resident's rooms, or asking them to do things. Also, if I have a resident that mumble...

Thanks everyone for all the replies! I got a lot of different answers, but it goes to show that the health care field can be different depending on where you are and all that. Thanks for the link to the article also. That's what I was looking for!

Hm, well I'll have to just go in expecting that I might get responses like that, but also know that I don't want to risk injuring myself because I didn't have enough help. It is good to know though because I can prepare myself mentally for situations...

Oh ok. That's good it's not the serious ones. Yeah, I know it can vary with each person. It's still kind of a relief to see some out there with more positive stories to tell for back injuries, though. I plan to talk to as many of the other CENA's an...

Thanks for the tips. And this is kind of dumb, but which injuries are you referring to here? The debilitating serious ones, or ones where we sprain or pull something? That's good to know. :) Thanks to everyone else who replied too. (not that I wan...

I guess in a nutshell I'm worried more about debilitating chronic pain from a back injury. I've had back pain and have probably pulled a muscle or two in the past, but it's the idea of permanent serious damage that makes me so nervous.

some of you are talking about lifting obese people with only one other person to help. I asked one of my professors about this and she told me to always ask for more help if I need it. And she implied that if I couldn't get it, I shouldn't work there...

Thanks guys. Eh, kinda depressing. Anyway, I just wanted to clarify that when I mean back injury I'm talking about something that's permanent. So I'm not as concerned over a sprained muscle as I am over having chronic back pain. I remember my mother ...

Thanks for the replies! I was busy with class and kind of forgot to check back on it again. I'm getting better at reading the pulse. I'm going to use the advice of not using the tips of my fingers, since that's where I felt my own pulse. I've been p...

Hopefully this is allowed. If it's not just remove it. I'm taking a CNA course at my college, and we're working on vital signs. We just learned how to take BP today. The thing is, I can feel my pulse through my fingertips. So when I try to take some...

I posted a similar topic about contracting diseases in general, but I wanted to make a post just about this particular accident. I'm pretty nervous about needlestick injuries and what can result from them. Although, looking at the stats, it seems th...

Haha I fail at spelling. I've decided go to the CNA route, mostly because it's quicker and because it's cheaper. Like some other people said, I woudln't learn as much if I went the MA way. But, I'm curious if anyone knows anything about those 'train...

I realized I spelled "assistant" wrong in the title, but I can't edit and fix it. Typical. hah. I'm fairly decided on nursing as a career choice, but I want to get a certificate in something first so I can decide if it's really for me, before putting...

Thanks Iwanna, that was a very resourceful post, and thanks to the other posters too. I believe that the CNA is the best rout after what you wrote. At the moment, I was thinking of getting my certificate at the same college I just got an associate's ...

Hey guys, me again. Still considering nursing. Now I have a new concern. I've read that new grads have a hard time getting work (but who doesn't these days). I read one post where someone was still looking after a year. Does this seem to be the norm...

AH NETWORKING. LOL that's ALL i heard about after coming from graphic design. (I have an associate's in it, but I'm having trouble finding a job) One of the reasons i'm thinking about nursing was job security or being able to actually find a job.

Okay thanks. Back injuries are another issue I'm concerned over, but I wasn't as concerned over that as I was with the needlestick thing. But, now that I've read some statistics on actual infection rates, I feel a lot better about the situation. :)